MYEFO cuts include a program that funds weirs, dams and other infrastructure in the Murray-Darling Basin.

Clint Jasper

The Federal Government has cut almost $10 million in funding for the Murray-Darling Basin Joint Program, which helps manage weirs, dams, barrages and other infrastructure projects.

The program is separate from the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, and is one of a string of agriculture-related bodies affected by MYEFO cuts or changes.

Only recently, the Murray-Darling Basin Council agreed to new funding arrangements following the NSW Government's previous decision to cut its contribution to funding such activities.

The Federal Government will cut $9.8 million from the scheme in 2014-15 by reducing its own contribution to $11.3million. The money will be redirected to fund 'policy priorities' and assist in reducing the Federal Budget deficit.

Today, the Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey announced the government had revised its 2014-2015 deficit budget forecast up $10 billion to $40.4 billion.

Mr Hockey blamed falling iron ore and wheat prices for the increase.

"Our nation's export income has not been what we expected. For example, iron ore, which is one fifth of our nation's export dollars, has fallen from $120 a tonne at the beginning of this year to around $60 a tonne today," he said.

"The price of wheat, which is one of our largest agriculture exports, has fallen 20 per cent since the Budget.

"In agriculture and resources, Australians produce far more than we consume. So we use the export of excess produce and services to build our nation's income."

On top of the Murray-Darling funding cuts, the Federal Government will also abolish or merge numerous agricultural agencies - covering areas like quarantine, pest management and research - in order to reduce its Budget deficit.

The measures, some of which had been previously announced, include merging the Vertebrate Pests Committee with the Invasive Plants and Animals Committee, and abolishing the Benchmarks Working Group.

A million dollars will be chopped in 2014-15 from the Northern Australia Sustainable Futures Program.

The Federal Government will also abolish the National Surveillance and Diagnostics Working Group, the Rabies Preparedness Working Group, the Live Animal Export Division - Industry Government Implementation Group, the Forestry and Forest Products Committee, and the HT-J Technical Working Group.

It will also abolish the Australian and New Zealand Standard Diagnostic Procedures Working Groups, the Laboratories for Emergency Animal Disease Diagnoses and Response Working Group, the National Strategies Working Group, the New Test Evaluation Working Groups and the Sub-Committee on Animal Health Laboratory Standards.

White-crowned sparrows exposed to small doses of a common neonicotinoid insecticide used in agriculture rapidly shed significant amounts of fat and spent days recovering before rejoining their migration, a study has found.